


The W

by lilihierax (Cerberus_Brulee)



Series: The Leopard & The Lion [3]
Category: NXT, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Self-Blame, Takeover Unstoppable spoilers, so corny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 13:49:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3980350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerberus_Brulee/pseuds/lilihierax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enzo could feel their eyes on him as he drove, but he held himself still for once, and he refused to look back at them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The W

The silence felt like thunder the whole drive back, and the tension crackled like lightning, but the sky was full of stars tonight. Enzo could feel their eyes on him as he drove, but he held himself still for once, and he refused to look back at them. In the corner of his eye, he could see Colin's hair flipping back and forth every time he turned a bit towards Enzo. He knew Carmella was doing the same, judging by the restless creak of the leather coming from behind him.

 

As soon as he got the car parked, he stormed out and slammed the door closed with the keys still inside. Cass'll take care of it. He made his way up to the apartment with the fury of a man possessed, but really it's that he couldn't take their stares anymore.

 

\---

 

Cass reached over to the vacated driver's seat and yanked the keys out. He followed Carmella out and locked the doors behind them. In the faint orange glow of a streetlight, they traded uncomfortable looks. They'd never seen Enzo like this, not even at his worst.

 

When they finally got back to the apartment, they found Enzo in his bedroom, leaned into the windowsill with his head pressed to the glass. There was nothing to see outside, just the wall of another building three yards ahead. Yet Enzo stared outside as if he were watching the boardwalk on the coast.

 

Cass and Carmella kept turning to each other, both unable to muster up something good to say. It was Enzo that finally broke the silence with a humorless laugh, “I'm a shit wrestler, ain't I?”

 

Cass strode over to Enzo and turned him away from the window, but Enzo avoided his eyes and stared at their feet. A firm touch brushed down Enzo's braided rattail and dug into his shoulder, and his partner said, “Enzo, look at me.”

 

When Cass got no response, he tried to pull Enzo's face up, but Enzo twisted his head away pushed the top of his head into Cass's chest. He repeated brokenly, voice cracking, “I'm a shit wrestler. _Ain't I_?”

 

“Nah, Zo. You're amazin', and ya flew solo tonight,” Cass said, but halfway through his sentence, he could feel Enzo tremble underneath his hand. Enzo's shook his head, gaze still glued to the floor and whispered hoarsely, “I just can't keep up with you.”

 

“Zo, you keep up just fine. Hell, you keep up better than fine, ya always takin' twice the damage I do by the time we're done with matches,” Cass countered with admiration.

 

Enzo's head shook furiously and he choked out, “If I wasn't always doin' moves off the ropes to prove myself, we'da been fine. Always fall short, suck at 'em anyway. Guess my ego's too sawft for this line'a work. How many times have I cost us the W, Colin?”

 

“I don't work wit' people who're sawft,” Cass retorted. Enzo tensed up, and then his shoulders sagged, but Cass continued, “I don't choose 'em for my tag partners cuz that makes me sawft, but I chose you. So ya sayin' I'm sawft?”

 

Enzo lifted his head, and Cass could see an expression between fury and guilt in the wrinkle of his nose, “Ain't what I meant, br--” but Enzo was cut off when his breath escaped his lungs, and he realized Cass had pulled him into a tight hug. Hands rubbed at his neck, up and down his back. He twitched a little when Cass brushed over a sore spot near his ribs, “Ya got pretty beat up tonight, Zo. It's 'cause they were worried you'd take 'em down, or they wouldn'a worked you over and kept you down otherwise. And that drop kick?” Cass went on, pulling Enzo in tighter, “That was _beyooootiful_. We lost because you and Carmella got ambushed, and it wasn't your fault bro.”

 

“About that,” Carmella cut in. She sat at the foot of Enzo's bed with her legs crossed and appeared even smaller with her shoulders hunched forward. She dug her toes into the leopard printed rug, flicked her nails anxiously and said, “I think I should stop comin' out to the ring with you boys.”

 

That seemed to finally revitalize Enzo as he pulled his head back from Cass and turned over with bug-eyed bewilderment and yelled too loud, “The hell would you do that??”

 

Carmella rolled her eyes, as if the answer wasn't obvious, “I think it's becomin' clear that I'm a liability. Bliss came out and took a cheap shot at us because of me."

 

“Those slimey chicharrons? They woulda' found their way to her eventually, Carmella. No way, you belong with us and I ain't 'bout ta see that change. How you doin',” Enzo jabbered while Cass grinned at him with adoration and echoed their punchline softly, “I mean, you back out now an' they get what they always wanted. Us without you.” Carmella's eyes softened with amusement at that.

 

“Fair enough, Zo,” she got up and headed out to the kitchen, voice bellowing from down the hall, “Well, I'm starvin, so who's orderin'?”

 

\---

 

That night, three battered bodies wrapped up in bandages and swathed in the scent of tiger balm fell together in Cass's bed. The silence was soothing to the lull of their heartbeats, and the skies were full of stars tonight, so they'll take meteor showers cuz they're stars.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Ehhhkkk, that ending. I'm more of a visual artist than a writer, so I apologize if this is kinda lame. Also can't bother a beta reader to go through this slop. Hope someone found it enjoyable though. This was prompted by a tumblr... plot bunny?


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